At a recent meeting of National Grid and East Anglian MPs, they said that an offshore alternative HAD been adequately consulted upon when they engaged with local communities. I held a survey to ask people who participated in the consultation, whether they agree with National Grid that an offshore alternative was meaningfully discussed.
Survey results:
In response to the following question: ‘Do you agree with the statement from National Grid that their consultation included meaningful discussion on an offshore alternative to the proposed swathe of new overland pylons?’
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99.4% of those respondents said ‘no’.
I then asked: ‘If you answered No to Question 2, would you support National Grid reopening the consultation to include detailed consideration of an offshore alternative?’
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98.8% of respondents said ‘yes’.
This survey was based on a significant sample of the consultation respondents:
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1,040 people who responded to the survey had also participated in National Grid's consultation on EA GREEN.
- Responses were spread between all affected constituencies in East Anglia, with the top five being Harwich & North Essex, South Suffolk, South Norfolk, Bury St Edmunds and Colchester.
These results show that almost 100% of the 1,040 participants who responded rejected National Grid’s claim that their consultation meaningfully covered offshore alternatives. I’ve therefore written to National Grid asking that the consultation be reopened, so that my constituents and those of other MPs in Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex can see the full facts on all of the options that National Grid considered – including offshore. Furthermore, that requires a report into offshore options to be conducted by an open-minded expert. A copy of my letter can be found below.
